


Spotlight

by aikasumi



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Broadway! AU, F/M, i got this idea at the right time wow, in which two musicals compete to be number one on broadway, the tonys are literally today so it seems fitting, there are some curse words but that's okay
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-12
Updated: 2016-06-12
Packaged: 2018-07-14 17:00:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7181390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aikasumi/pseuds/aikasumi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Adrien Agreste, child star and prized lead for hit Broadway show, Miraculous. Born into stardom, he single-handedly captivates an audience with his voice and his charm, making him a likely candidate for this year's Tony Awards.</p><p>Marinette Dupain-Cheng, the girl on stage who seems to weave notes together in such a fashion that critics can't help but sing high praises for her talent. Though quite new to the concept of performance, she has proven to be a threat to Miraculous' high ratings. </p><p>How will the two of them fare together on the stage?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Spotlight

**Author's Note:**

> It's been a looong time since I've written anything, so forgive me if this is a bit rusty. 
> 
> This was the result of listening to a bunch of musicals over the span of 6 months? I'm not sure how long it's been since I have such bad time management, but besides that, I hope you enjoy this, and hopefully I'll be motivated to finish it.
> 
> (plus the title is a work in progress so don't be surprised if I change it)

The life of Adrien Agreste was a rather simple one. He woke up every morning with the day’s schedule ahead of him, getting ready while he sorted it out all in his mind. First was rehearsal, which took place each afternoon to work out any rough patches in any of the choreography or vocals, because no matter how many times they ran through the show, there was always something to improve; always a chord that could be fine tuned or an outstretched arm to be withheld. It all changed varying on how the performers were feeling that day. It seemed to be the overall appeal of theatre: it was consistently inconsistent.

Later on, there were sometimes press conferences or interviews dealing with Miraculous, and the rest of the time he had left was dedicated to modeling for his father’s company, and meals placed sporadically throughout the day.

And then it was show time.

When Adrien first entered the world of theatre, he had just entered public school after all his years of homeschooling. His father’s personal assistant, Nathalie, had proposed the idea to encourage the development of his public speaking, because surely being the son of Gabriel Agreste meant that there were events to attend in order to construct a respectable reputation. He felt painfully awkward compared to the rather exuberant students who seemed to have been performing for years, while he had been isolated from kids his age for quite a long time. The teacher, Ms. Bustier, had him stand on the stage of the auditorium and introduce himself. 

“Umm... I’m Adrien Agreste,” he murmured meekly, flushing uncomfortably under the bright stage lights.

“That won’t do, Adrien.” She said sternly. “You must project your voice if you are going to make it through this class. Mumbling isn't going to make you a better performer by any means. Try it any again.”

“I’m Adrien Agreste!” He shouted, his voice cracking all the while. There were a few giggles from the front row of the class, and he felt heat rising to his cheeks from embarrassment. Well, heat that wasn’t already there from the lights. 

“We’ll work on that.” Ms. Bustier said, shaking her head slightly.

He walked out of the class that day feeling a lot more pathetic than he thought was possible. 

.

For the next couple weeks, he avoided talking during theatre, opting instead for writing down what the teacher instructed of the class to do; anything to keep himself occupied and out of the center of attention. It was the first class of the third week, however, that he was approached by a dark-haired student in his class.

“Hey, man. Are you okay?” He asked. His eyebrow was quirked up a questioning stance, not quite sympathetic, but not quite pitying either.

“Oh, uh, yeah.” He mumbled. “I’m fine.”

“Really? It doesn’t seem that way to me.” Adrien looked at him in astonishment. It wasn’t typical for someone to ask about his wellbeing, much less dismiss the answer he gave every time he was asked.

“How do you think I feel then?” He asked, curious at this point.

“Well, I think you’re still hungover the whole ‘introducing yourself’ part, and now that you’ve assumed that you’ve made a fool out of yourself, you’d rather write down random shit instead of participating.” He said in a matter-of-fact voice, pointing down to the notebook he had in his hand. The boy took the notebook from his hand, flipping through the first couple pages to confirm his assumption before snapping it shut.

“I would know; I did the exact same thing.” Adrien looked up from the notebook, a bit surprised to see a smile on the boy’s face, and he offered his own, albeit a hesitant one, back in response.

“I’m Nino.” He stretched his hand out. A peace offering, almost. But less of a declaration of peace and more of invitation of friendship.

Adrien took his hand and shook. “I’m Adrien.”

That was when Adrien’s love of theatre began.

.

It was always before a show, during his time in the dressing room where he got his costume together and drank as much water as he could to assure that both he and his voice would make it through until the intermission, where he remembered that starting point of his career. He looked down at the water bottle in his hand, watching as the droplets inside the plastic container slid down the side into the remaining water. It was also when he wondered what his life would be like if he hadn’t reached that point. Would he have still continued the class, or would he have failed it entirely and moved on with his life? What if Nino never did approach him? Would that mean that he would still be friendless to this day? Would he be stuck modeling and bending under his father’s will? 

It was a miracle that Gabriel Agreste allowed his son to continue in the theatrical arts, especially seeing that he needed his top model to carry on the family business. It was only with the help of Nathalie that Adrien was able to balance both Miraculous and his father’s wishes. At 22, he had achieved much more freedom than he had anticipated in his younger years.

The younger him didn’t think much of what he could be, but what he was and how he would deal with it.

It occurred to Adrien right then how much he had changed over the years.

His train of thought was broken by the sound of loud, rather obnoxious knocking.

“ADRIEEENNN.” The door assailant screamed. Adrien sighed, suppressing a grin, and opened the door, narrowly avoiding being punched in the face.

“Oh sorry, bro.” Nino apologized hastily after realizing what he had almost done. “Good thing those karate lessons kept your reflexes sharp, eh?” Adrien rolled his eyes as his best friend flashed him a grin.

“Anyways, the show’s starting in 10 minutes. Why aren’t you heading out to the wing?”

“I could ask you the same thing, Mr. Music Director.” 

“You play a fair game, Agreste. But seriously, why aren’t you out there already?” 

Adrien hesitated for a brief second. “Just... thinking about stuff.” 

Nino whacked him on the back of the head, causing the blonde to wince. “Oww???”

“Shut the fuck up, Agreste. Do I need to get a cold water bucket again?” 

Adrien shook his head quickly. 

“Good, Now you’re gonna go out there, and you’re gonna kick some major musical ass. There’s literally no time to second guess yourself right now, so get your priorities straight and sing like you’re never gonna sing again. Got it?”

“Yeah?” Nino brought his hand up threatening again. Adrien backed away quickly, waving his hands in distress.

“What I meant was: Yes, I got it.” 

Nino nodded in agreement. “Good. I swear you would be dead without my moral support, “ he snorted as they walked down the hallway where all the other cast members had congregated. 

“Honestly, I think I would be dead either way.” Adrien replied, taking a final sip from the bottle before tossing into the trashcan they were approaching at the corner of the hall.

They both chuckled, and as Adrien was straightening out his costume one last time, Nino leaned against the wall and said: “You know that new musical that came out a month or two ago?”

“Noir?”

“Yeah, that one. I got us tickets to that.”

Adrien looked at his friend in surprise. “How? It’s sold out for, like, a year.”

“I pulled some strings to get them.” He smirked.

“Please tell me you didn’t do anything illegal.”

“Oh no, I didn’t.” He assured him. “I met the publicist for the musical, and she agreed to give me tickets to the show since she’s friends with the main lead.”

“She just gave them to you?”

“Yup.” He replied, popping the ‘p.’ “I mean, after I told her I was friends with the certain lead of the top Broadway musical, how could she have said no?”

“You didn’t.”

“I did.”

“Fuck y-” 

The stage director came out from the herd of cast members and called out: “5 minutes ‘til showtime, people! Get in your positions and get ready to kill it!”

Adrien sent a glare to the man beside him, who flashed him a thumbs up as he walked down the stairs into the orchestra pit, before he headed further down the wing and onto the stage where the curtains were drawn. He could hear the restless bustle of the crowd from behind the curtain, eager to enjoy what they had been awaiting for so long. 

He took a deep breath, clearing his mind of any stray thoughts and focused on the opening lines he had to sing. From there, he could branch out and lose himself in the words he so long ago memorized and perfected, though music could never be completely flawless at the hands of people, much less him.

The announcer, Andrew, was cued, and the crowd was hushed. He repeated the introductory lines, welcoming everyone to the show and wishing them a wonderful time.

The lights dimmed.

The curtains were drawn.

And, at last, the spotlight was on him.


End file.
